Belgian National Orchestra, Schønwandt & Widmann

Mozart thinks freely, Berlioz thinks theatrically, Beethoven thinks radically. They listened differently, thought further, and rewrote the rules of their time. In his Fifth Violin Concerto, Mozart lets freedom be heard. The violin sounds neither solemn nor formal, but dreamy and bold, as if the music were inventing itself in the moment. Beauty here is not decoration, but imagination in motion — full of humour, surprise and outward-looking curiosity, crowned by the famous “Turkish” episode. With Beethoven, that freedom becomes a necessity. Two uncompromising chords in the Eroica force the door open to something entirely new. This is no longer music for salons or courts, but a personal statement, driven by tension, conflict, momentum and ambition. Romanticism begins here not as a style, but as an attitude. And then there is Hector Berlioz, the visionary who understood that music could also be theatre and colour. In Béatrice et Bénédict, his urge to let the orchestra speak through untamed contrasts and emotions is already fully present. Led by Michael Schønwandt and featuring internationally acclaimed violinist Carolin Widmann, this concert pays tribute to composers who did not follow their time, but led the way.